YOUR OPINION IS NOT MY REALITY
Major Richard Blaine and Sergeant-Major Savalas have been ordered to COSSAC headquartersat Norfolk House, St. James’s Square to report what they found along the Normandy coast.
YOUR OPINIONIS NOT MY REALITY
“The moreknowledge, the less ego. The less knowledge, the more ego.”
– AlbertEinstein
I lookedat the assembled greatness arrayed before Sgt. Savalas and myself. There wasmore egg salad on those puffed chests than modest men would have beencomfortable in wearing. The key word there was “modest.”
I smileddrily.
Theohusked, “What are you smiling about?”
“What atrusted advisor, Sister Ameal, told me when she feared that I would bedrafted.”
“Whichwas? I could use a smile right now.”
“Bepolite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”
“She wasa nun?”
“And aprofessional assassin before entering the convent.”
“She wasyour advisor?”
“Yes.”
“Well,that explains a lot.”
Sentient chided me. ‘Behaveyourself. You stand in COSSAC headquarters at Norfolk House, St. James’s Square.In front of you are Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, General Bradley, GeneralSmith, four other generals, and five more admirals, plus Rear Adm. GeorgeCreasy, Ramsay’s chief of staff.’
Rear Admiral Ramsey looked as if somethingsmelled rank … me. Too bad. I thought all military rank smelled foul. He wasabout to become even unhappier with me.
He flashed a phony smile. I remindedmyself that he was responsible for the Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed OperationDynamo. Working from the tunnels beneath Dover Castle, he and his staff workedfor nine days straight to rescue troops trapped in France by the German forces.
I figured those troops had aharder time on that French beach than he and his staff had safe in thosetunnels.
For his success in bringing home 338,226British and allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, he was asked topersonally report on the operation to King George VI and was made a KnightCommander of the Order of the Bath.
“Ah,” he sneered, “the enigmaticMajor Richard Blaine. You do know that you will not be keeping that rank for anylength of time?”
“And I had such hopes.”
Montgomery poked an angry Bradleyin the ribs. “That Cloverfield chap was right about his not genuflecting infront of superior officers, eh?”
Sir Ramsey gruffed, “Describeyour reconnaissance.”
“I will bottom line it for you,sir. You are going to hurl 133,000 trusting men into a meat grinder needlessly.”
“What?” he roared.
“You have command of the skiesover most of Europe, sir. You could fly hundreds of demoralizing raids oncrucial targets until all the German oil reserves were destroyed, and the Naziarmy a shambles.”
“You have the utter gall to talk strategyto your superiors?”
Montgomery seemed to be enjoyinghimself. “A 4oo I.Q., remember, Rear Admiral?”
“To Blazes with his damn I.Q! Iknow my plan is solid.”
I sighed, “Sir, shortly beforeWorld War I, the German Kaiser was the guest of the Swiss government to observemilitary maneuvers. The Kaiser asked a Swiss militiaman: “You are 500,000 andyou shoot well, but if we attack with 1,000,000 men what will you do?” Thesoldier replied: “Shoot twice and go home.”
I thought Admiral Ramsey was aboutto strangle me. “Your point, private?”
I counseled myself with Al Capone’swords: “I’m a kind person, I’m kind to everyone, but if you are unkind tome, then kindness is not what you’ll remember me for.”
But Helen Mayfair would thinkless of me.
I drew a deep breath. “You wantto know what Sergeant-Major Savalas and I found?”
“Yes, damn you!”
Theo muttered under his breath. “Thisis going well.”
The map on the offered desk wastoo broad as was the Normandy map on the wall. I dug into my left blousepocket, taking out a stick of charcoal. I started to draw on the white wallbeside the map.
“’ere now!” came a shout from oneof the generals.
I quickly sketched in the style ofLeonardo da Vinci as Montgomery chuckled,“Now, mate, that is just showing off.”
Sir Ramsey growled something thatnobility should not have known, much less said. I turned to the man. I pointedas I talked.
“The tidal-flat obstacles beganwith so-called Belgian gates, which are gate-like structures built of ironframes ten feet high. These sat in belts running parallel to the coastline,about 150 meters out from the high-water line. Teller mines (antitank minescarrying twelve pounds of TNT) ….
“I know what they are,” snappedSir Ramsey.
I kept on as if I had not beeninterrupted, “ … were attached to the structures, or old French artilleryshells, brought in from the Maginot Line, pointed out to sea and primed tofire.”
As Sgt. Savalas paled, I continued,“I hear that Nazi Admiral Ruge had no faith in land mines and artillery shellsstuck underwater, as they had no waterproofing, but the marine mines hepreferred were not available in sufficient quantity. Next, at about 100 metersout from the high-water mark, a band of heavy logs were driven into the waterat an angle pointed seaward, with Teller mines lashed to the tips of some ofthe logs.”
By this point even Sir Ramseybegan to look a little wilted, but I kept on ---
“At about seventy meters fromshore, the main belt of obstacles featured hedgehogs (three or four steel railscut in two-meter lengths and welded together at their centers) that could ripout the bottom of any landing craft.”
Admiral Ramsey by this timelooked paler than an ancient leper. I heard a staccato of footfalls. I turnedand sighed.
Major Laska was smartly salutingthe admiral.
“About those Teller mines and artilleryshells strapped to the fortifications, sir. I think we need to personally inspectone of each for ourselves. Surely, the redoubtable Major Blaine could succeed obtainingthem for us. Alone, of course, to better slip past the Nazi defenses.”
Sgt. Savalas snapped, “It wouldbe suicide.”
Admiral Ramsey flashed the kindof smile I figured Vlad the Impaler became famous for. “Excellent idea.Excellent.”
